Reports & Media Releases

SCOTUS unanimous: Nessel v. Enbridge Line 5 case belongs in state court

Traverse City, Mich. — In a victory for the State of Michigan and its allies opposing the continued operation of the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline through the Straits of Mackinac, the Supreme Court of the United States has issued a unanimous decision that Nessel v. Enbridge will be heard in state rather than federal court…. Read more »

REPORT: A groundwater strategy for Michigan

Get the press release In early 2025,  Flow and students from the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) graduate program teamed up for a 16-month initiative to examine Michigan’s groundwater management and propose a statewide strategy to ensure long-term, sustainable groundwater governance. Protecting and managing groundwater is particularly complex given the lack… Read more »

New poll: 75% of Michiganders support a statewide septic code

News from Progress Michigan Contact: Levi Teitel, levi@progressmichigan.org Contact: Megan Kelto, megan@flowwateradvocates.org April 14, 2026 MICHIGAN – Recent polling released by Progress Michigan shows that 75 percent of Michiganders support enacting a statewide septic code. In January, state Sen. Sam Singh introduced a bill (SB 771) that would do exactly that. If the bill passes… Read more »

Flow opposes Great Lakes funding cuts proposed in federal budget.

Traverse City, Mich. — Flow Water Advocates opposes the proposed federal environmental budget, which includes major cuts to programs that protect clean water, public health, and the Great Lakes. “These budget cuts would jeopardize the water and systems that Michiganders and people throughout the Great Lakes region rely on,” said Liz Kirkwood, Executive Director of… Read more »

Flow to host webinar about new septic system legislation

Watch the septic webinar recording on YouTube. Traverse City, Mich. – Michigan’s water and public health are threatened by an estimated 330,000 failing septic systems, but new legislation (SB 771) recently introduced by Sen. Sam Singh (D-28) proposes common-sense statewide septic standards to help keep human and household wastes out of our lakes, rivers, and drinking water… Read more »

Policy brief: The case for a statewide septic code in Michigan.

Download PDF Our invisible water crisis. Michigan faces a long-standing and largely invisible water quality crisis driven by failing septic systems. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) estimates that 330,000 of Michigan’s 1.3 million septic systems are currently failing. Untreated sewage is entering groundwater, rivers, and lakes at alarming rates. Studies… Read more »

Septic systems standards legislation introduced in Michigan state senate

January 28, 2026 Lansing, Mich. – Today in the Michigan Senate, Sen. Sam Singh (D-28) introduced legislation to establish the state’s first-ever comprehensive framework for the oversight and maintenance of onsite wastewater treatment systems, also known as septic systems. The legislation (SB 771) will modernize Michigan’s outdated approach to septic system oversight, and protect the… Read more »

Fact sheet: Big tech data centers target Michigan’s resources.

Download PDF At issue: The rapid rise of data centers in our communities Data centers are multiplying across America in response to increases in computing intensity, including the growing use of artificial intelligence. Significant growth in cloud computing, big data analytics, and cryptomining also contributes to demand for data centers. Viewed as the next job-creating… Read more »

FLOW urges regulators to put Michigan’s rivers first in proposed dam sale

Flow Water Advocates formally urged the Michigan Public Service Commission to reject the proposed sale of 13 Michigan hydroelectric dams from Consumers Energy to a private equity–backed affiliate of Hull Street Energy. This transfer would place critical public water infrastructure — and the rivers and fisheries connected to it — in the hands of an… Read more »